Serial-number card.



N9. 790,227. 'PATENTBD MAY 15, 1905.

' SERIAL NUMBER CARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1905,-

5 1 finntoz Patented May 16, 1905.

"PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHER M. REID, ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

SERIAL-NUMBER CARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,227, dated May 16,1905.

Application filed January 30, 1905. Serial No. 243,391.

T0 all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, ARCHER M. REID, a citizen of the United States,residing at At lanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and use- .ful Improvements in Serial-Number Cardsand I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in sitioned within ashipping-receptacle and withdrawn therefrom and positioned upon asupport. When said sheet is positioned upon the support, the sameaffords a writingsurface for recording certain information.

Another object of the invention is the improvement of the constructionof a card or tag which is provided with means for positively securingthe same to the side of a shipping-receptacle, while the body portion ofthe card is positioned within said receptacle, and the same securingmeans also being ca pable of supporting the card or tag in properposition upon a support for permitting of one side of the card to bewritten upon.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction of aserial-number card, as well as providing novel means for securing thecard within the receptacle and retaining the same upon a support whenremoved from said receptacle.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainother novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, aswill be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying.drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims heretoappended.

.In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of ashipping-receptacle, showing a portion of the top broken away and theserialnumber card in its position when thereceptacle or case is readyfor shi ment. .Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the card shown.

nal central section of the card and the fastening and supporting tonguetherefor. Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3, except I have shown anotherembodiment of the fastening and supporting tongue. Fig. 5 is afragmentary plan view of the card, to which is secured the tongueillustrated in Fig. .4.

For the purpose of specifying more specifically the object of thisinvention it may be stated that nearly all patent medicines are beingplaced on the market on what is known as the serial-number contractplan. This plan requires that each case of one dozen bottles shall benumbered and shall contain a card on whichmust appear the number of thecase and also twelve lines numbered A, B, C, D, 620., respectively, asseen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to correspond with each bottle in thecase. When the whole original case is sold by a Wholesaler to aretailer, the card must be taken out of the shipping receptacle or caseand the name of the retailer written on said card and the card forwardedto the manufacturer. In the event that less than the whole case is soldby the wholesaler the bottles must be put on the shelf and the card keptintact. As each bottle is sold the name of the. person to whom it issold must be written on the card on the line designating the bottleas,for instance,

line A, Fig. 2, should contain the name of the purchaser and his addressof the bottle marked A, and in the like manner the remaining designatedlines of a card should contain the names and addresses of the party orparties purchasing the remaining bottles of the case. thewholesalerreceives the receptacle or crate to open the same in order to get thecard, as it is preferably positioned between the bottles and the lid orcover, whether he sold the entire contents of the receptacle or crate toone party or to several. card constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, the jobber need not remove the lid or cover of the receptacleor case if l-Ieretofore it has been necessary when When employing a ioosaid contents are sold to one party, as the card can be easily removedfrom within the case by means of the peculiarly-constructed tongue andthe name of the purchaser written upon said card, and the same can besent to the manufacturer. Heretofore it was necessary to mutilate thereceptacle when it was desired to remove the card from within the samewhether the contents of the receptacle Was sold to one party or toseveral, because it Was necessary to furnish the manufacturer under thissystem or plan with the purchaser or purchasers names placed upon thecard Which is inclosed in the receptacle containing the bottles.

For more specifically describing the structure of my improved cardreference may be had to the accompanying drawings by numerals, in which1 designates a card, preferably formed of .pasteboard, although othermaterials may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. The back 2 of the card 1 is as a rule notprovided with any printed matter, but the face 3 of the card isprovided, preferably, with twelve lines, each line being designated bymeans of p the letters of the alphabet, although it will be obvious thatthe lines could be designated by other means than those employed. Thecase when filled and ready for shipment contains bottles, each bearing acharacter corresponding to the character on one of the lines of thecard, so that if saidbottles are sold separately the name and address ofthe purchaser may be noted upon the line corresponding to the particularbottle sold. The name of the jobber or retailer is written upon the cardat 4, while the number of the receptacle or case is written or printedupon the card at 5. When the card is positioned Within a receptacle, itis preferably placed with its face or printed surface 3 downward,

or, in other words, the printed or written surface is placed next to thecontents of the receptacle, as depicted in Fig. 1.

The serial-number card 1 is provided with a securing and supportingtongue 6, constructed preferablyof pliable metalj An aperture 7 isformed in tongue 6 near the outer end thereof. The aperture permits ofthe indeX-card to be suspended upon a tack, nail, or the like, or whenthe card is positioned withina shipping-receptacle suitable securingmeans may be passed through the apertured portion of the tongue and intothe rece tacle for securing the card in a fixed position in thereceptacle. When the card is positioned as shown in Fig. 1, it will beobvious that the end of the tonguewhich is secured to the side of thereceptacle is bent at approximately right angles to the body portion. Ifthe contents of the receptacle are sold singularly and not as a Whole,it will be necessary to write down the names of the different purchasersupon the card, as heretofore stated. In this event it is desirable tohang the card upon a suitable support, as member 8, which is driven intoa wall or any suitable surface .1, the member 8 being positioned withinthe aperture? of the tongue, the tonguebeing bentflat after the card isremoved from the receptacle. The tongue 6 is formed of a single strip,which is passed through the card at 10 and having a portion 11 bent backupon the card and its end 12 being bent over and having its edge 13pinched into the body of the card to a certain degree. Opposite thepinched portion 13 is a crimped or transversely-ereased portion14,whiehforms bindingmeans compressing the edge of the card therebetweenupon which the bent end of the tongue is positioned. It will be seenthat the extreme outer edge of the card is secured within the hooked endof the tongue, said tongue forming substantially a socket for the upperend of the card. From the bent portion 10 to the outer free end of thetongue the same is substantially flat when ready to be positioned uponits support or before it is inserted through the crack between the lidand receptacle into said receptacle before securing said tongue to theside of the same. The tongue is free from the bent portion 10 to itsouter edge, although it is retained in approximately parallel positionto the portion 11 when bent as shown in Fig. 3.

The modification shown in Figs. 4- and 5 is similar in every detail,except the aperturing of the tongue is slightly different for two purposes: Instead of punching or removing the metal forming the aperture 7entirely from the tongue I may cut the metal, so as to produce not onlythe aperture 7"upon the tongue 6, but also a strip 7 which can be ben tback upon the hooked crimped end 12 of thetongue so that the tongue canbe held up against the card in parallel position, with the portion 1 1preventing any lateral movement of the tongue other than that caused bybending the body portion of the tongue, as is done when the aperturedend is secured against the receptacle in the same manner as illustratedin Fig. 1. The extension 7", producing the apertured portion 7 which isformed for either securing the tongue to the side of the receptacle orsupporting the card upon a nail, tack, or the like, produces fasteningmeans for securing the portion of the tongue between the bent portion 10and the outer apertured end to the card 1 intermediate the length ofsaid portion of the tongue.

When the card is positioned within the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 1,the fastening member 15, preferably a tack, canv be easily extracted,the bent end straightened, and the card removed from within thereceptacle.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a cardhaving a printed surface, a tongue extending from one end of said card,said tongue comprising a single strip bent intermediate its ends andhaving a portion lying flat upon thecard terminating in acrimped hookedend, said end inclosing a portion of the upper end of the card, and theopposite end portion of the tongue having an aperture.

2. A serial number card, comprising .a ruled and printed surface, atongue secured to said card and extending outwardly from the card, saidtongue comprising a single strip" of metal provided with an 'outer,apertured end portion and an inner, hooked end, and said strip crimpedtransversely near its hooked end,

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sheethaving a ruled and printed form upon one side-thereof, a pliable,apertured tongue secured to said sheet, said tongue provided with anextended portion projecting therefrom upon the side of said sheet havingthe ruled and printed form, said tongue bent intermediate its ends andprovided with an end bent upon one edge of said sheet, the bent end ofsaid tongue being curved inwardly, and a depressed portion formedupon'the tongue opposite the inwardly-bent end.

4. The combination with a shipping-re'ceptacle provided with a cover, ofan index-card inserted in the receptacle beneath the cover and capableof being withdrawn without re moving said cover, said index-cardprovided with a flexible tongue, which projects outside of the cover andalongside of therecepinserted in the receptacle beneath the cover andcapable of being withdrawn without removing said cover, said index-cardprovided with a flexible, a ertured tongue which proj ects outside of te cover alongside of the receptacle, and fastening means passed throughthe aperture of the tongue and into the receptacle for retaining saidtongue in a fixed position.

In testlmony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARCHER M. REID. Witnesses DE Wrrr T. DE LAMATER, R.T.MARKLEY.

